Love and Pride
by speakforthepenguins
Summary: Life is scary. The world is scary, but everyone deserves happiness. Eli is Nozomi's, and Nozomi will let nothing change that. Inspired by the recent events in Orlando.


**A/N: Inspired by recent events. To world: As long as it's consensual and both partners are of a legal age, everyone has a right to make their own decisions. No one has a right to murder fifty innocent people who were just proud of being themselves, ever. That's genocide, and it's disgusting. To anyone who is afraid because of this: millions of people are with you, and I hope you know that you have every right to love who you love and be happy.**

Nozomi sits on the couch. Her eyes inspect the stormy sky outside. She hears the door open. Surprised, she turns, and is greeted by a stormy faced Eli.

"What's wrong?" she inquires, worrying coloring her tone.

"Don't you usually ask 'how was your day'?" replies her girlfriend. There's an edge to her voice.

"I do, but not only are you home very early, you also have a sour expression on your face," says Nozomi, rising from the couch and moving to the blonde's side.

"I didn't feel well. I wanted to come home."

"Eli, as a teacher, I have nothing to do during the summer, so while I'm on vacation and you're at work, I do things, like watch the news. Did what happened in America scare you?"

Nozomi reaches forward. She takes Eli's hand and finds it trembling. Eli says nothing, but Nozomi can see tears forming in her eyes. In response, the purple haired girl embraces her.

"Go lie down, Elichi. I'll make some tea."

"I-I should really go back to work-"

"It's not cowardly to give yourself a break once and awhile. Go lie down."

Nozomi watches as her girlfriend robotically moves to the couch and lies down. In spite of herself, Nozomi smiles, glad that she could persuade her partner to rest.

Nozomi goes to the kitchen and puts the kettle on. Her own hands are tremble slightly, but she feels no shame over her fear. Why shouldn't she be afraid? Nozomi hasn't been closeted since high school. If someone were looking for a target, they could easily pick her out. The "queer" one in a "normal" crowd. Even worse, they could target Eli.

Nozomi turns her head to look at the blonde. Still on her side, Eli gazes out the window at the stormy sky. She has her arms are wrapped around herself. Nozomi glares pointedly at the kettle. The sooner the water finishes boiling, the sooner she can move to her girlfriend's side.

Nozomi impatiently awaits the water's boiling point, yet as the temperature rises and the hissing begins, Nozomi feels her face heating and her fear heightening. What should she say to her Eli? How can she calm her girlfriend done, when her own heart shakes like the boiling kettle? Nozomi needs more time to think. Body and soul gripped by fear, Nozomi arrives at a frantic solution: she can drop the kettle. If she drops the kettle, she will have to wait for the water to boil again. It will give her more time to think.

But Eli needs her now. Eli needs her. Nozomi frowns, what's wrong with her? Just because she's scared doesn't give her a reason to run from Eli. On the contrary, if she's scared, Eli is exactly who she should run to. Nozomi composes herself and makes two cups of tea, one plain and black, the other with sugar and milk. Then, lifting both cups, she goes to sit by Eli.

"Here," she says, handing her girlfriend the cup of black tea and keeping the one with milk for herself.

"Thanks," replies Eli, tentatively sipping from her cup. Her eyes are still fixed on the cloudy sky.

"It's okay to be afraid, Elichi," she joins her girlfriend in gazing out the window.

"It's not fair. Why should I have to be afraid? I haven't done anything! We haven't done anything!"

"Sometimes things aren't fair."

"Are you telling me to accept it?"

"No, the opposite. Recognize its not fair and fight it. Don't back down even if you can't win, and if it kills you, at least you die with pride."

"N-Nozomi, that seems a little extreme."

"Oh, does it? I'm sorry. I don't mean to scare you, especially at a time like this." Nozomi smiles warmly at Eli.

"No, you're not scaring me, the opposite actually."

Eli rests her cheek against Nozomi's shoulder and snuggles against her. In return, Nozomi leans her head on Eli's. An exquisite silence follows; over its duration, Nozomi swears she and Eli converse in a language beyond words. It is Eli who finally brings the moment to a close.

"Nozomi?"

"Elichi?"

"Are you afraid?"

Nozomi pauses.

"Yes, I am. I'm terrified. I love you, Elichi, and I love being alive. I don't want someone to take my life over something so stupid."

"We could try to stay in until all this news goes away. Just, you know, keep our relationship on the down low. Go out less until this stuff dies down."

"I don't want to hide."

"What's wrong with hiding? It's not forever. I know it was in America, but what if someone here gets an idea from it?"

"Elichi, I don't want to. I did my hiding, eight years of it. I hide from myself, from my friends, from you. I don't want to hide anymore. If someone were to barge in here right now with a gun and threaten me, I would never renounce the way I feel about you. You're everything to me, Eli."

"Nozomi…I'm sorry...I don't want to hide either. I'm just scared."

"It's okay. I am too."

"You're the best Nozomi. Thank you so much. I would be nowhere without you."

"Oh Elich, give yourself some credit and some sleep, you look exhausted."

Eli lets herself roll off Nozomi's shoulder and into the purple-haired girls lap.

"Tell me a story, Nozomi."

Nozomi giggles gently, "alright. How about a fairytale?"

"Yes."

"Once upon a time, there was a prince and a witch. They were unlikely friends but very close."

"I wonder who they could be?" remarks Eli. Her sarcasm is cradled by a light playfulness.

"Be polite, or I won't finish."

"My apologies… ."

"As I was saying, they were very close friends. Except there was one problem: the witch was in love with the prince."

"Why am I a guy?"

"I didn't say it was you, now hush! I'm not going to tell you any story if it just excites you."

"Alright, alright," says Eli with a small smile.

"So, the witch was in love with the prince; however, she decided she would never tell him. For one, she was afraid that he would not feel the same, and she did not want to ruin their relationship. Furthermore, she was not unhappy with how things were. She loved being with the prince, even if he knew nothing of her feelings, so the witch decided she would never tell the prince how she felt. It wasn't always easy that way because containing such a strong feeling is painful. Sometimes the witch would get so close to breaking and telling the prince everything, but for the sake of their friendship, she stopped herself every time.

"Even though the witch wanted things to say the same, time had other plans. They both grew older. The prince became a king. Despite everything the witch did, she felt as if a wall was forming between the two. The king was often busy, and so was she. The feelings she had kept down began to destroy her. She regretted saying nothing, but now, she felt it was too late.

"Then one day, a miracle occurred: the king confessed to her. The king told the witch of a love he'd had for a long time, but had only just come to realize. The witch couldn't believe it. After all this time, she'd been saved. A prince, her prince, had saved her. She couldn't have been more grateful. It was then that she decided she wouldn't hide the way she felt about him any longer. She would be brave, just like her prince.

"It should be happily ever after from here, but it's not. No such perfection exists in life, and new dangers arose when the king told the witch how he felt. Being alive is a scary thing, a scary, wonderful thing, The witch doesn't mind though. She knows life can't be a fairy tale. She doesn't need a perfect ending, she just needs her prince."

Nozomi finishes and looks down.

"Oh my, Elichi? Did you fall asleep?" she speaks softly, smiling as she runs a hand through Eli's hair, "good. Sleep well, my dearest prince. Nothing is or will ever be that could make me leave you."

Nozomi turns her head back to the stormy sky. The fear has subsided. In it's place is love, love and pride.


End file.
